The present invention relates generally to polarizing dish antenna reflectors, and more particularly to a method of making a polarizing dish antenna reflector wherein a light source is employed to pyrolyze an organometallic compound disposed on the antenna surface to form grid elements directly on the reflector surface.
The current state of the art in forming parabolic dish antenna reflectors is evidenced in U.S. Pat. No. 4,001,836, wherein such reflectors are formed by fabricating the grid elements by means of a photoetching process. The grid comprises a multiplicity of electrically conductive grid elements which extend across the reflector surface formed from relatively thin flexible sheet material. The grid may be formed by laying wires or narrow metallic strips across the reflector surface and bonding the wires or strips to the surface to form the grid elements. Also the photoetching process may be employed wherein the grid elements are formed on a planar segmented structure which in then formed into a parabolic segmented structure by bonding. Thus, the reflector is comprised of an assembly of curved strip-like segments shaped in accordance with certain parametric equation, when the strips are assembled, the resulting grid structure has edges of the strips lying parallel or perpendicular to the direction of polarization.
The antenna of U.S. Pat. No. 4,001,836 is made by means of a complex process and is costly to fabricate. There is therefore a need to provide a method of fabricating a parabolic dish antenna reflector which is more economical, is lighter in weight than conventional designs, and is more resistant to thermal distortion.